Does Mac Jones have a chance to play for Patriots on Sunday?
By Fran Brown
Four days after suffering what many thought could be at worst a season-ending injury and at least land him on injured reserve, a new report surfaced today regarding Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. According to Mike Giardi of the NFL Network, Jones has been telling teammates to not rule him out for Sunday’s game in Green Bay.
Per sources, Mac Jones is in the facility and participating in game planning. The #Patriots QB has to told multiple teammates to not count him out of this weekend's game at Green Bay, and is still operating as if he has a chance. Practice is scheduled for around 12:35 today.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 29, 2022
However, Jones did not participate in Patriots practice for the second day in a row as backup Brian Hoyer remains the favorite to start at quarterback this week. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that Jones’ injury would cause most people to have surgery so the fact that he is talking about potentially playing a week later is something to monitor going forward.
Fans can take this a few ways. First, this could be a ruse by the Patriots to make the Packers think that Jones could see the field on Sunday, but it’s not like we are talking about very different options at quarterback between Jones and Hoyer. If it was Jones and Cam Newton, then we’d be talking as each guy brings something different to the table.
Second, this could actually be the fact that Jones is closer to coming back than we think. Landing on injured reserve sidelines a player for at least four weeks and it’s been reported that Jones could be out anywhere from six to eight weeks. Even if Jones can’t go Sunday, Giardi’s report would leave us to believe that Jones would be able to go next week when the Patriots host the Detroit Lions.
Lastly, and I think this is most realistic, this could mean that Jones is in denial regarding the timeline of his return and is seeking out second opinions that would bring him back sooner rather than later. Like most highly competitive athletes, I don’t think Jones liked the initial news he received and liked hearing an opinion that he could only miss a few weeks. Is this the right decision? I don’t know because information regarding the actual injury has been quiet coming from Bill Belichick who reminded everyone that he is not in fact a doctor.
Bottom line, even though Jones is optimistic, I don’t think he plays Sunday, and with his play so far this season, who’s to say the Patriots are worse off with a fully healthy Hoyer than a 75% Jones?